Howard, in every single way, is a different human being from what he was in those days. He was always a fink of
sorts, but he was a funny fink who had balls (maybe) and knew what was funny and what should be bashed.

I still love the WNBC tapes, but the Howard in those tapes no longer exists. Therapy, Hamptonian peer pressure, Beth and old age have consumed that man and shit out a 6'5" turd of everything that one could hate.

I prefer the late 80s to early 90s to any other era of Howard Stern shows.
He was kind of unhip and he knew it and so he kind of didn't take himself so seriously.
Chimney Portion's right... that guy -the old Howard of the Glory Days- is deader than my youth.

He could always be on both sides of every argument so he just chooses the one that helps his financial situation. He has no core beliefs. He hated government then and loves government now. He hated Hollywood then loves Hollywood now. He got his.

He could always be on both sides of every argument so he just chooses the one that helps his financial situation. He has no core beliefs. He hated government then and loves government now. He hated Hollywood then loves Hollywood now. He got his.

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Wow... I haven't listened in about 3 years but that sound eerily similar to Mitt Romney.

I don't think one can truly appreciate (in this day and age) that what Howard did was absolutely unprecedented back in the day. You can't discount that enough.

It's like when people talk about the beatles, I never appreciated until I was older how remarkable it must have been to hear some of their stuff when they were first released.

I guess Saturday Night Live was the closest thing I could point to that was on the edge, but that was somehow different. The few times I listened to match game or other bits it doesn't stand up well or paint the picture on what was happening then....it was that he was miserable, made fun of management (and you could tell it wasn't a bit), didn't want to play music on wNbc, it was hilarious for it's time and he really was groundbreaking for all types of media.

In Stern Show history, 1986-1996 is as good as peak George Carlin, Bill Hicks, and Chris Rock combined. No question it solidifies Howard as the greatest comedian of all time. For four hours every day single day Howard brought a creative fury that no one has ever come close to matching. Guys like Hicks, Kinison, Rock, Carlin, the true greats of comedy, were putting out a high level one hour long routine about once every two or three years. The Howard Stern Show was hitting that mark every single day. Chris Rock said if Howard Stern was a standup that no one would know who anyone else was in standup comedy.

The Billy West and Jackie years are particularly good. It's not a surprise that Billy went from Stern to being the greatest voice actor of all time. The show had arguably the greatest joke writer of all time, Jackie, constantly feeding jokes to Billy and Howard. Jackie is as talented a writer as anyone ever. No doubt about it. There was so much talent. Even Robin's news was one of the best segments day in and day out. Days where she'd have stories lined up for Howard, Billy, Jackie, and guests like Gilbert and Sam Kinison to talk about, are legendary classics. You cannot find a bad Gilbert appearance.

The Jackie Puppet days are probably my favorite pieces of entertainment that I have. Right up there with things like The Wire and The Sopranos. Billy said that the majority of the lines said by the Jackie Puppet, including insults aimed at Jackie, were actually written by Jackie. That puppet was like a featured cast member of the show. A personality of its own, not just a gimmick, but a real individual unique voice. It's a perfect example of the creativity of the show.

So many classic moments. You could list a thousand of them. There's not a show from 1993-1995 that isn't wall to wall laughs. I've re-listened to 90s Stern tapes over and over. There's a reason why O&A still have Billy, Jackie, and even guys like Pat Cooper on their show. They want to be part of that 90s Stern Show legend. Anthony himself used to call into the show as Sam Kinison and even came onto the show in December of 94 for the Jackie impression contest (which is a must listen moment). Everyone remembers those days for what they were. The best years in radio history. And arguably the best years in comedy.

To me, anyone who hasn't heard the majority of shows from 86-99 isn't qualified to talk in depth about Howard. Those shows represent maybe the highest level of comedy. Ever. Period. It's the legacy that guys like Lenny Bruce, Carlin, Kinison, and Hicks all fought for and pushed for. It's the reason why so many comics love Stern. Not because he promotes their gigs, but because Stern fans were a legion of diehard comedy fanatics, who would support anyone's right to push the limits with humor. It's why Sam Kinison said that the only person who he was ever intimidated by was Howard.

After Jackie and Billy left the show was still good. Stuttering John, KC, Artie, the show was still high level. Artie's first few years were incredible but his drug use starting with Beer League really diminished his quality as a comedian and third microphone. But still, you take the shows from the 9/11 attacks through to about late 2004, and you'll be entertained non-stop. A great era for casual listening. The Vegas trips are timeless. Find those in the binary groups and give them a spin. The 'Artie Era' on K-Rock was good enough to add to Howard's legacy, not subtract.

First years of Sirius were good. Five days a week. Roasts, specials, promise of lots of new content. But things went south rapidly. Four days a week. Three days a week. No more third microphone. No more honesty. No quality shows on the channel. No question that it will hurt Howard's legacy in the long run with hardcore fans. But most people won't notice.

Overall? Howard is still to me the best. Better than Hicks, Carlin, Patrice, Kinison, Rock, and the rest of the great comedians. You take the shows from the late 80s until 2005 and you're looking at thousands of hours of the highest levels of comedy ever performed. There's no comparison.

Unless Howard does an OJ and kills his wife, his legacy is pretty much intact.

When I started listening, in the early 90s. Howard was intimidating. If you were in his cross-hairs, you were fucked. He seemed a bit crazy and unstable. I loved how he used to fight with critics. He fed off the Negativity. Now...

Howard, in every single way, is a different human being from what he was in those days. He was always a fink of
sorts, but he was a funny fink who had balls (maybe) and knew what was funny and what should be bashed.

I still love the WNBC tapes, but the Howard in those tapes no longer exists. Therapy, Hamptonian peer pressure, Beth and old age have consumed that man and shit out a 6'5" turd of everything that one could hate.

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You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Chimney Portions again.

Evidence of what made the show great at the time. Jackie out of control, Billy West as Jackie Puppet, Jackie writing for Jackie Puppet, Howard faking his anger at getting his name in the paper, even robin getting in on the fun. It didn't get much better than this.

Key statement by jackie at 3:20 of first clip that sums up why the show sucks now "All you do is lie"

I can't see how anyone who became a fan back in the late 80's-early 90's can listen to the show in its present form. I stopped listening to new shows back in '08 or '09. I should've stopped long before that, but I kept thinking and hoping that the show would get back on track, but it never did. I used to wake up at 6am on my days off just to listen to Howard, now I can't even be bothered to watch a 5 minute clip on youtube.

Howard, in every single way, is a different human being from what he was in those days. He was always a fink of
sorts, but he was a funny fink who had balls (maybe) and knew what was funny and what should be bashed.

I still love the WNBC tapes, but the Howard in those tapes no longer exists. Therapy, Hamptonian peer pressure, Beth and old age have consumed that man and shit out a 6'5" turd of everything that one could hate.

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while i agree with just about everything, i wouldn't say it's "peer pressure" in the sense that ANYONE is pressuring him to be part of their group. IMO, no one cares. They probably would like it if he and his horse went away.

He's trying so hard to fit in, because HE wants to. Is there a name for that?

He's like the fat, asthmatic kid going up to the jocks after school, panting and wheezing, saying "hey guys, guys, whatcha doing? whatcha doing? can I come?"